Gamma Ray "Land of the Free II" (SPV)
By Taylor Green
Tuesday. Jan 15, 12:09 AM
Epic, sweeping, edge-of-the-world power metal.

Okay. The band is called Gamma Ray. GAMMA RAY! Need I say more?

All right you picky bastards, here it goes. For those who have never heard Gamma Ray, the band name tells you pretty much everything you need to know (hence the opening sentence). This is epic, sweeping, edge-of-the-world power metal. I'm talking metal so powerful it makes Bon Jovi look dull. Land of the Free II marks a proposed return to the philosophical and thematic roots of the band, hence the album being a pseudo-sequel to the original Land of the Free, Kai Hansen's first album as not only lead songwriter but frontman of the band. While recent Gamma Ray releases have explored darker and more abstract themes, Land of the Free II returns to the unbridled positive energy of the band's early past. And while this may push the cheese factor to its most extreme limits (but really, what great power metal since Maiden doesn't?), this very eccentricity adds a certain character to the album that a lot of other power metal acts seem to stray from.

Land of the Free II features some of Gamma Ray's finest and broadest material yet. "To Mother Earth" wails out the speakers with the band's fastest riff to date, followed immediately by the band's heaviest riff in "Rain," an ‘80s-inspired thrasher bound to get your head bobbing. The simple yet strong songwriting allows the small moments of sophistication to stand out ever more so, weaving songs that speak rather than talk down to the listener.

But with all of that, a very ominous downside looms above this entire record. Like most sequels (if that's what you want to call Land of the Free II), there's a lot of repetition from earlier efforts. That's not just true of Gamma Ray copying earlier Gamma Ray, but borrowing many elements from nearly every power and speed metal band that has come before (or after). This leaves the album with a feeling of "been there, done that." While "Rain" has the aggression of an ‘80s thrash tune, it sounds almost too much like Megadeth or Metallica. A bass line in "Opportunity" synchs up nearly perfectly with Iron Maiden's classic "The Number of the Beast." And moments like these on Land of the Free II seem to be the norm rather than the exception.

While Land of the Free II may not push the genre forward like the latest from Iced Earth, Mercenary, 3 Inches Of Blood, Dragonforce, or even the band's last album Majestic, there's no denying the balls-to-the-wall power of Land of the Free II. From the first seconds of "Into the Storm" to the final note of "Insurrection," Land of the Free II never fails to deliver the epic power metal that Kai Hansen and company have been so accustomed to delivering. And by going back to the most primitive principles of the band, Land of the Free II may offer some of the moat engaging and powerful tunes Gamma Ray have produced yet.
www.gamma-ray.com
www.spvusa.com

Taylor Green

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